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Best of Britain Tour

Day 1: London Arrival & Windsor Castle

Your vacation starts at your Windsor hotel at 2:30 pm when you meet your tour director. Close to your hotel, visit Windsor Castle, residence of The Queen and the largest inhabited castle in the world. Meet your tour director and trip participants over a welcome drink before dining in your hotel. After dinner take a brief walk around this compact and historic town with a local guide. (D)

Day 2: Cotswolds & Shakespeare’s Birthplace

Head out into the English countryside today and travel through the delightful Cotswolds. This region developed during the Middle Ages when the wool produced was vital to the thriving economy. Most of the villages date back centuries and are built in the local warm-toned stone. Stop in Bampton where “Downton Abbey” village scenes were filmed. Drive to Stratford-upon-Avon and, in the center of this attractive town, visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace to see an exhibition about his life and work. Enter the actual house where he was born to see rooms furnished as they would have been in his day. Drive north to Yorkshire and check in to your hotel in York. (B, D)

Day 3: York Minster & Scottish Evening

Take a walking tour through medieval streets to see black and white half-timbered houses. Stroll along the Shambles, one of the city’s narrowest alleyways where the overhanging upper floors almost form an arch across the street. Tour the stately York Minster, which towers over the old city. It is built in Gothic style and is renowned for magnificent medieval stained glass windows. Travel north, passing some portions of Hadrian’s Wall, and pause in Jedburgh to view its picturesque abbey ruins. Continue through the hilly countryside of the Scottish Borders to Edinburgh where your hotel is set in spacious grounds a few miles outside the city. Enjoy a lively Scottish Evening with dinner and entertainment right in your hotel. (B, D)

Day 4: Edinburgh Castle & Guided City Tour

Explore central Edinburgh this morning, starting in the 200-year-old “New Town” with its planned streets and elegant Georgian houses where many famous writers and inventors lived. View Princes Street, the city’s premier shopping street. See the Royal Mile where the medieval houses are clustered closely together with some as high as 11 floors. Tour the massive Edinburgh Castle to see the Crown Jewels of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny and enjoy great panoramic views from the ramparts. The afternoon is free for independent activities. You may like to visit some of the many museums or browse in the little shops along the Royal Mile. On Aug 07 to 21 departures watch the spectacular Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on the Castle Esplanade. (B)

Day 5: Lake District & Beatles' Liverpool

Stop in Gretna Green, the first village across the border from England where eloping couples used to cross into Scotland to be married at the Old Blacksmith’s Shop. While it still holds many weddings, today it is a popular shopping stop for quality Scottish goods. Drive through the Lake District, a region associated with Beatrix Potter who worked tirelessly for its preservation. See stunning views of lakes, gentle hills and valleys. Stop in the peaceful village of Grasmere where William Wordsworth penned some of his popular lines and you can see his grave in the village churchyard. Continue to Liverpool to visit The Beatles Story where you can hear their music and learn about their lives and work. Check in to your centrally-located hotel and after dinner you may head to the world-famous Cavern Club. (B, D)

Day 6: Tintern Abbey & Welsh Evening in Cardiff

Drive south through Shropshire, close to the Welsh border and one of the most unspoiled parts of rural England. Stop in Ludlow, a town that can trace its origins back 900 years, to see the huge castle and quaint old black-and-white houses. Continue south through the lovely Welsh countryside to visit the picturesque ruins of Tintern Abbey, founded in 1131 and dissolved in 1536 by order of King Henry VIII. In the 18th century it became a popular haunt of the poet, William Wordsworth. Head to Cardiff and tour Cardiff Castle, developed in Roman times and rebuilt through the centuries. Head to a Welsh evening for dinner and some lively Welsh music and entertainment. (B, D)

Day 7: Roman Baths & Stonehenge

Take a panoramic tour of Cardiff to see the principal areas and buildings and discover local information on a brief walking tour. A short drive will bring you to Bath to visit the Roman Baths and Pump Room, hot mineral-rich springs that have been popular since Roman times. At Salisbury Plain marvel at the prehistoric circle of vast monoliths of Stonehenge and learn about the primitive builders who managed to create such an enduring monument. A short drive will bring you into London and check in to your hotel. The evening is free for independent activities. (B)

Day 8: London Tour & Tower of London

This morning take a panoramic tour of central London to see famous landmarks including Piccadilly Circus with its statue of Eros, Nelson’s Column flanked by huge lions in Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Visit the mighty Tower of London to see the many fortresses, Beefeaters, ravens and the priceless Crown Jewels. The afternoon is free for further exploring and there is no shortage of great things to see and do. In the evening you are free for dinner. (B)

Day 9: Depart for Home or Extend your Stay in London

If you are on a 9-day tour, your program ends after breakfast. Those on a 10-day tour may schedule London sightseeing by open-top bus tour around the many famous landmarks. There are a number of different bus routes to choose from as well as a walking tour and a cruise on the River Thames. (B)

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Customer Testimonial

Hi Stephanie

Thank you for your email – we only arrived home at the weekend so have been busy catching up at work and home.

The holiday was fantastic. Ireland is very beautiful and the people are so warm and friendly. We loved every minute of it and the accommodation you organised was excellent, especially the Manor House in Killarney which was superb and the B&B in Galway where our hostess went above and beyond what we expected. The Ring of Kerry and Connemara are just gorgeous and we would love to go back there again.

We hope to come back to Ireland in April 2010 as part of a large insurance conference. I have already given some of our colleagues your details and if you can suggest some other parts of Ireland that we can visit then we will organise this through your company.

Once again, thank you so much for everything you did to make our holiday in Ireland so memorable. We cannot fault a thing. I will try to send through some of the hundreds of photos we took (not so good on that side of things.